“Excuse me, where in the purchasing process are you?”

Brick and mortar stores have changed as we have come to the internet era. Now approximately 83% of those visiting the physical store, have already got to know the product or service before hand. When they arrive the store they have made their decision with 99% accuracy, but did want to reach out for the final say from an expert as the physical store was the most easiest way to get an expert advice. “How may I help you?”.

What if your customer service person was already familiar with the needs of the individual customer and would know that what is he or she is looking for, is coffee machine with automatic off-switch, 1,5l container and red colour. In an online store you have the possibility to “get to know” the visitor already on his or her journey through the site. Online customer service representative knows exactly what is been looked for and with what specs.

The endless possibilities of tracking and analytics of online store are not useful if they are not used correctly. Servicing a client in real-time online was few years back the wet day dream (if it was even understood as a possibility). Now real-time customer service on your website is something many stores cannot live without. Others are yet to understand the potential of the chat service on their website.

What before was okay in brick and mortar can now be done better online

Customer service boosted with detailed analytics and rules based on it enable e-commerce site to do what is never ever going to be possible in brick and mortar. Customer service representative is now able to “know” the visitor and ensure seamless purchasing process (or buying decision process as sometimes referred).

“Today our special offer id red moccamaster, that has the specifications similar to the one you were just looking at. The best thing is that it comes with a 3 year warranty. Would you like to see it more closely?”

Btw. Brick and mortar can still make some significant difference in customer journey. Next I will be writing on how you can drive traffic from online store to your physical one and make even more sales.